What do your family do for you for Mother’s Day? Do they go all out to bring you breakfast in bed or take you to a fancy restaurant or just bring you a box of chocolates? My DDs do none of the above, the OH will generally get me a box of chocolates and this year he bought me a large box of Guylian; he tells me he’s watching my waistline. One year my eldest bought me Red Dwarf VIII and I’m just going to digress and tell you all the story.
One day I found a receipt on the table for the Red Dwarf VIII DVD. I thought it said credit card and so I left it in my OH’s office as he was the only other one with a credit card. I was very careful not to say anything to him as I didn’t want to spoil the surprise as I just knew it was for me for Mother’s Day. I mentioned it to my eldest who got quite upset and I thought it just meant she would then need to find something else for me. Mother’s Day came three weeks later and I got up early to go to a market and check it out. I was forestalled by the OH who gave me his present. I was totally flummoxed as wrapped up was a cookbook and a box of chocolates. Where was the Red Dwarf DVD I was expecting? He denied all knowledge. That’s when my eldest walked in and gave me a parcel…you guessed it, it was the Red Dwarf VIII DVD. I was totally surprised, awed and floored by this. I was in tears. I’d really wanted that DVD, she knew that and had managed to get it and keep the secret for several weeks. I knew which day she’d bought it as she’d visited the shops and I was coming past them about the same time, we did connect by phone but she didn’t want a lift home. I still can’t explain the receipt, it did say cash so why did I see credit? The youngest had taken a walk up the street the day prior and bought me a mango. Did I feel spoilt that day or what?
This year the kids politely knocked on the door at 8am. I called out and when they came in I was told to close my eyes. “That’s easy!” I said and when I was allowed to open them I saw this.
On the left you have James Marsters as Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and on the right is James Marsters as Captain John Hart in Torchwood. It was drawn by Douglas Holgate and signed by James Marsters. She got it at Supanova last month, Holgate is the talent behind Skullduggery and Marsters you know all about and if you don’t then you should. She commissioned Holgate specially for this cartoon and somehow I’m going to have to frame it and hang it on the wall. Easy, I hear you say, not so easy I say back. The bonus on the back is a rough sketch of John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness in Torchwood. How do I frame it with both the back and front showing? Why is there a bonus? Because Holgate misunderstood and started sketching Captain Jack before being corrected. Which part do I like best? I don’t know. The thought involved in this is just amazing and to actually put it all together is even more so, add to that the skill involved by Holgate, the fact that James Marsters thinks it’s cool and also the bonus and I’m afraid I just don’t which is the part I like best. Just to add to the story, she’s been pretending she had no idea how to top the Red Dwarf VIII DVD present since she attended Supanova.
I don’t normally do celebrity signatures, but I’ll make an exception in this case. She’s managed to top the first present I mentioned, Red Dwarf VIII but has no idea how to top this one.
That is pretty damn sweet.
I would get a high quality scan and print of the back so you can display both – check out your local printers etc. When you get it framed make sure they take care of the back with acid free lining or whatever they need to do (they’ll know what they need to do – just make sure to mention it).
Very nice indeed.
I know you’d understand. Thanks for the advice, I’ll look into it.